2. c4
Against the Sicilian
1. e4
c5
2. c4
Popular - Played 83 times in
2003 and 24 times first 4 months of 2004.
It can also arise from the English
Symmetrical 1. c4 c5 2. e4
2... Nc6
The best reply.
3. Nf3
[3.
Nc3 g6!
4. g3 Bg7 5. Bg2 see 1.g3 document.]
3... e6 Dragon players will play g6, other
Sicilian players will play this move. e5 is too boring.
[3...
Nd4 is another idea. 4. Nxd4 cd 5. f4 (5. g3
g6 6. Bg2 Bg7 7. d3 d6 8. O-O e5 9. f4 Ne7 10. g4 ef 11. Bxf4 Nc6 12. Na3 Ne5
13. h3 O-O 14. Nc2 Qb6 15. Rb1 Bd7 16. Qd2 a6 17. Nb4 (17.
b3±) 17... Be6 18. Nd5 Bxd5 19. ed Rac8 20. Rf2 Qc7 21. Rc1 b5
22. b3 Qb6 23. Be4 b4 24. Rcf1 a5 25. Qb2 Rce8 26. a4 Nd7 27. Qc2 Re7 28. Kg2
Qc7 29. Bg5 Re5 30. Bh4 Nc5 31. Bg3 Re7 32. Re2 Rfe8 33. Rfe1 Qd7 34. Bf2 Kh8
35. Qb2 f5 36. Bf3 Nxd3 37. Rxe7 Rxe7 38. Rxe7 Qxe7 39. Qd2 Nxf2 40. Qxf2 Be5
41. Be2 fg 42. Bxg4 Kg7 43. h4 h5 44. Be2 Bf6 45. Kh3 Qe4 46. Bd1 Qh1
0-1, Svoboda
Milos (CZE) 2250 - Belaska Premysl (CZE) 2240, Czech Republic 1996) 5...
e5 6. d3 Bb4 7. Bd2 Bxd2 8. Nxd2 ef 9. Nf3 Nh6 10. Qd2 O-O 11. Nxd4 f5 12.
O-O-O Qb6 13. Nxf5 Nxf5 14. ef d5 15. d4 Bxf5 16. c5 Qg6 17. Rg1 f3 18. g4 Be4
19. Bd3 f2 20. Rgf1 Bxd3 21. Qxd3 Qxg4 22. Rd2 Qg2 23. Qe2 Rae8 24. Qd1
0-1, Zamit
Spyridon (GRE) 2061 - Tzoumbas Anastasios (GRE) 2347, Athens (Greece) 1999;
3... g6 4. d4 cd would
lead to Accelerated Dragon, Maroczy variation.]
4. Nc3 Best.
This position has occurred 67 times in the last two years.
[4.
d4 It is well known that this is a mistake leading to an aggressive position
for Black in the Flohr-Taimanov Sicilian. cd 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Nc3 Bb4
The point - 60% Black in 552 games]
4... Nge7 This appears better than Nf6 or a6,
and d6 is too passive.
[4...
a6 5. d4 cd 6. Nxd4 Qc7 7. Be2 Nf6 8. O-O Bb4 see
5....a6 below (8... Bd6 9. Kh1 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Be5 11. Qd3
O-O 12. f4 Bxc3 13. bc b5 14. e5 bc 15. Qd4 Nd5 16. f5 Ne7 17. f6 Ng6 18. Ba3
Qxe5 19. Qxe5 Nxe5 20. Bd6 Nc6 21. Rab1 (21.
Bxf8 Kxf8 22. fg Kxg7 23. Bxc4 d5±) 21... Re8 22. fg
Ra7 23. Bh5 Kxg7 24. Rxf7 Kh8 25. Rbf1 Rb7 26. h3 Rb5 27. Bf3 Ne5 28. Rf4 Nxf3
29. R1xf3 Rd5 30. Rf8 Rxf8 31. Rxf8 Kg7 32. Rxc8 Rxd6 33. Rxc4 h5 34. Kh2 Rd3
35. Rd4 Rxc3 36. Rxd7 Kf6 37. Rh7 Rc5 38. Rd7 Ra5 39. Rd2 Kg5 40. g3 e5 41. Kg2
Kf5 42. Rf2 Ke4 43. g4 h4 44. Kh2 Rc5 45. g5 Rc6 46. Rg2 Rg6 47. Rg4 Kf3 48.
Rg1 e4 49. Rf1 Ke2 50. Rf5 e3 51. Kg2 Re6 52. Rf6 Re5 53. g6 Rg5 54. Kh2 a5 55.
a4 Kd3 56. Rd6 Ke4 57. Re6 Kf4 58. Kh1 Rg3 59. Kh2 Kf5 60. Re8 Kxg6
0-1, Golubovic
Boris (CRO) 2450 - Graf Alexander (GER) 2624, Leipzig (Germany) 2002; 8...
Be7 9. Be3 O-O 10. Rc1 d6 11. Nd5 ed 12. cd Bd7 13. Bf3˛);
4... Nf6 5. Be2 d5 (5...
a6 6. O-O Qc7 7. d4 cd 8. Nxd4 Bb4 9. Nxc6 dc 10. Qc2 e5 =) 6. e5 Ng4 7. cd
ed 8. Bb5 d4 9. Bxc6 bc 10. Na4 Ba6 (10... Qd5 11. O-O
Be7 12. Re1 d3 13. b3 c4 14. Nc3 Qe6 15. bc Qxc4 16. h3 Nh6 17. Re4 Qe6 18. Nd4
Qg6 19. e6 O-O 20. Qb3 Kh8 21. Nxc6 Bf6 22. Ba3 Bxc3 23. Qxc3 Qxe4 24. Bxf8 f6
25. Nd8 Bxe6 26. Qc7 Nf5 27. Nxe6 Qxe6 28. Bc5 Qd5
1/2-1/2, Popov
Valerij (RUS) 2579 - Coenen Norbert (GER) 2427, Halkidiki (Greece) 2002) 11.
d3 Qa5 12. Bd2 Qb5 13. O-O Qxd3 14. Re1 O-O-O 15. h3 Nh6 16. e6 fe 17. Ne5 Qb5
18. Bxh6 gh 19. Nf7 Rg8 20. Nxd8 Kxd8 21. Qf3 Be7 22. Rxe6 Bc8 23. Rxe7 Kxe7
24. Re1 Be6 25. Qf5 Rg6 26. Nxc5 Qc4 27. b3
1-0, Zvjaginsev
Vadim (RUS) 2590 - Ulibin Mikhail (RUS) 2550, Elista (Russia) 1996]
5. d4
[5.
Be2 Nd4 (5... b6 6. O-O (6. d4
Nxd4 7. Nxd4 cd 8. Qxd4 Nc6 9. Qd3 Bb7 is also playable.) 6...
Bb7 7. a3 Nd4 8. b4 Nec6 9. Nxd4 Nxd4 10. Rb1 f5 11. Bd3 Bd6 12. f4 O-O 13. e5
Be7 14. Ne2 d5 15. Rf2 Nc6 16. cd Qxd5 17. Qc2 cb 18. Bc4 Qd7 19. Qb3 Nd8 20.
ab b5 21. Bd3 Bd5 22. Qc2 a6 23. Nc3 Nc6 24. Ba3 Bd8 25. Kh1 Bb6 26. Rff1 Nd4
27. Qd1 Bc6
0-1, Markidis
Konstantinos (GRE) 2295 - Banikas Hristos (GRE) 2507, Athens (Greece) 1999) 6.
Nxd4 cd 7. Nb5 Nc6 8. O-O a6 9. Na3 Bc5 10. d3 O-O =]
5... cd
6. Nxd4 Nxd4
7. Qxd4 Nc6
8. Qe3
[8.
Qd1 Bc5 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O b6 11. Bf4 (11.
Qd3 Bb7 12. Qg3 Rc8 13. Bf4 Nd4 14. Bd3 d6 15. Rad1 e5 16. Be3 a6 17. a3 Ne6
18. Ne2 a5 19. Bd2 a4 20. Nc3 Bc6 21. Be3 Qe7 22. Bc2 Ra8 23. Kh1 g6 24. Bh6
Rfe8 25. f4 Nxf4 26. Bxf4 ef 27. Qxf4 Ra7 28. Nd5 Bxd5 29. Rxd5 Qf8 30. Qd2 Qg7
31. Bd3 Re6 32. g3 h5 33. h4 Re5 34. Qc3 Rae7 35. Rxe5 de 36. Bc2 Ra7 37. Qd3
Bd4 38. b4 ab 39. Qxb3 Bc5 40. a4 Rd7 41. Rd1 Qf6 42. Bd3 Qf2 43. Qc2 Qxg3
0-1, Molchanov
Yuri 2254 - Vekshenkov Nikolai 2378 ,
Novokuznetsk 1999 Ch Russia (club) (1 liga) ) 11...
Qe7 12. Nb5 e5 13. Be3 d6 14. Nc3 Be6 15. a3 a5 16. Bd3 f6 17. Qe2 Qf7 18. Nd5
Nd4 19. Bxd4 Bxd4 20. Rac1 a4 21. Rb1 Bc5 22. Kh1 Kh8 23. f4 ef 24. Nxf4 Bd7
25. Nd5 Rae8 26. Rf4 Re5 27. Rbf1 Bd4 28. Ne3 Rh5 29. h3 Bxh3
0-1, Hoen Lothar
2223 - Bischoff Klaus 2535 , Boblingen
1997 It (open) ;
8. Qd2 Bc5 9. a3 (9. b3
O-O 10. Bb2 f5 11. O-O-O Bd4 12. Kb1 fe 13. Nxe4 Qh4 14. f3 e5 15. Ba3 d6 16.
Nxd6 Be6 17. Bd3 a5 18. Ne4 a4 19. b4 Qe7 20. Qg5 Qd7 21. Qd2 h6 22. Rhf1 Qe7
23. g4 Rf4 24. Ng3 Qf7 25. Qe2 Bc3 26. Nh5 Rxc4 27. Bxc4 Bxc4 28. Qc2 Bxb4 29.
Rd7 Qxd7 30. Qxc4 Kh8 31. Bc1 Rd8 32. Ng3 b5 33. Qe4 Qd3 34. Qxd3 Rxd3 35. f4
ef 36. Rxf4 Bd6 37. Rf5 Bxg3 38. hg Rxg3 39. g5 hg 40. Rxb5 Rg4 41. Rc5 Nb4 42.
Rc8 Kh7 43. Bd2 Rg1 44. Kb2 Rg2 45. Rd8 Nc6 46. Rd6 Ne5
0-1, Shkuro Iuri
2268 - Datsuk Taras 2276 , Kiev 1999
Cup Independence (open) ) 9... a5 10. Nb5
O-O 11. Be2 Qh4 12. Qf4 Qe7 13. Be3 b6 14. O-O Ba6 15. e5 f6 16. ef Rxf6 17.
Qe4 Raf8 18. h3 Bb7 19. Bg5 Rxf2 20. Bxe7 Nxe7 21. Qxb7 Rxf1 22. Kh2 Bg1 23.
Kg3 Nf5 24. Kg4 Ne3 25. Kg3 Rxa1 26. Qxd7 Nf5 27. Kg4 Re1 28. Qxe6 Kh8 29. Nd6
Nh6 30. Kg3 Bc5
0-1, Skripchenko
Almira 2501 - Stefansson Hannes 2560 ,
New York 1994 It (open) ]
8... b6
9. Bd3 Bc5
10. Qg3 Qf6
has scored 80% for Black.
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